Without the Light
by Ellie the Jinx
Summary: Ginny hasn't cahnged much in fifty years, and after meeting Draco Malfoy after a long hiatus, she realizes, he is no longer the evil git she knew. Giiny and Draco pairing.


Rating: R for language, skimming of BDSM stuff, slash mentions, alcohol, striptease and a light sexual encounter.  
Disclaimer: I want the HP world to warp with my mind at any whim, but alas JKR is the only one with the legal rights to do as one pleases.  
A/N: This ficcie is in Ginny's POV

Part One

But, truly, I have wept too much! The Dawns are heartbreaking. Every moon is atrocious and every sun bitter.- Arthur Rimbaud

The Muggle world goes just as fast as it always does. It was a crisp early fall morning so that I hadn't needed to put a coat on over my cerulean skirt-suit. Muggles on the street drove by on their way to work in their environmental safe cars with great smiles on their faces as the news reads "PEACE IN ISRAEL" on great billboards and their Ever-Changing newspapers. Some carrying cups of true thermal Styrofoam that has the advantage of biodegrading. A breeze had just picked up fluttering through my slightly longer than shoulder length, still red, hair.

I was sipping from my own cup of hot Java spiked with whiskey, while on my walk to work. I needed it early today, barely dawn and I was downing booze. BUT since I have the metabolism of a rat, I can compromise with myself. The night had been hard. The pain of it had gotten too great, again, and Bill's funeral had pushed me over the edge. Everyone there, not like me. The pain of seeing my dead aged brother…Fleur bawling, her part-Veela children crying with their mother too.

Being seventy-six and looking twenty-two was odd. It had happened during the War. Death Eaters had been trying to find the perfect potion of eternal youth and basically immortal…they had experimented on me with success. The Killing Curse had failed on me many times with migraines that lasted for days afterward. I was also now immune to every poison imaginable, and the scars of nine fatal gun wounds proved the effects of Muggle technology. I hated my existence, every part of it. I hated seeing my aging friends and family, I stayed young while everyone grew old…

Harry white-haired with his wife Victoria, two kids and five grandchildren. Ron, hair not as red as it used to be, with Hermione with their five boys and twelve grandkiddies, growing older everyday. Fred aging with his wife Kellie, and George married to her twin Ava; the international Weasley's Wizard Wheezes now run by their sons, Mike and Marc. I visited my family only voluntarily twice a year at Halloween and Christmas Eve.

At this point in time, since I have so much of it, I was Max McKenna, a private investigator in the Muggle world. That was why I was walking down the street today, as I do everyday, until Max dies.

I arrived at my office a little after nine that morning with a client already waiting. Tessa, my secretary, was already on the computer filling out Mr. Pinstripe-Armani-Suit's paperwork, the Mr. Armani-Suit sat in the small blue and gray, waiting room.

"Good morning, Ms. McKenna. Mr. Ryan was early this morning and Miss Kinsey will be here at ten-thirty." Tessa handed me the notepad with Armani's information, I tapped the screen with my pen to see his name, Kye Ryan. You better not be wearing a knock-off Mr. Ryan…

"Mr. Ryan if you would follow me we can get started." My office was the only other room in my floor of the office building. The door was next to Tessa's little alcove.

It was decorated in the average office style, the walls were a pale blue, the carpet was gray with a great dark blue Persian rug under my ebony desk. Bookshelves were lined with paper and E-books. A miniature golden model of DaVinci's flying machine was on a shelf behind my desk, and a paper reproduction of Van Gogh's "Starry, Starry Night" was hung next to it.

"I'll get some coffee ready for you Mr. Ryan." I had moved to the coffee machine after setting my backpack next to my chair, but he held up a hand.

"No thanks, Ms. McKenna. I do not require anything but your services."

"Okay." I ushered him to sit down in the blue leather chair and I took a seat in my own black leather one.

"I will be quick to the point, Ms. McKenna. I believe that my spouse is cheating on me, I will need proper proof for my lawyer during the divorce."

Damn, I really hated these cases…"Why do you think that Mrs. Ryan is cheating on you?"

"Actually it's not Mrs., my spouse is a man." He averted his brown eyes, almost ashamed. I do see why he would be embarrassed, though.

Though gay marriage licensees were extremely hard to obtain in Britain, it wasn't too rare. It usually took two years to get one, and it was even harder to adopt, better than it had been forty years ago. Kye Ryan must be ashamed at the fact that he had waited and joined in holy-fucking-matrimony with an adulterer.

"So, um…" I checked the file pad to see what Mr. Ryan's spouse's name was Jeremy Niles-Ryan. "Your spouse Jeremy had raised suspicions of adultery that needs proving to uphold the prenup agreements… I charge a fair amount of money per night Mr. Ryan. I hope the money isn't a problem." A damn prenup you better have money.

"If you're as good as they say you are, then money is not an issue." I looked down at the file again; Jeremy had a kid, Andrew, 12, currently attending Eton. Curious, I asked about the kid.

"Uh, Andrew, is he Mr. Niles-Ryan's son or both of yours?" Splitting DNA to create a child of both parentage in same-sex relationships were common, expensive but easier to accomplish than adoption. The semen or eggs spliced to create a three-way child was confusing, but I never really got the concept of Muggle genetic engineering.

"Drew is Jeremy's from a relationship that never turned into marriage." Ah.

"I hope that you have the necessary things that was mentioned to you upon the phone or E-mail inquiry." I looked down again and saw that Mr. Ryan worked for the most sought after publishing company in the world, Oxford & Cambridge Press, as an editor. Thus explaining the expensive suit, but not the lack of intelligence.

"Right here." He pulled a thick file from his briefcase. Kye Ryan cleared his throat slightly and stood. "Thank you, Ms. McKenna. I had hoped it wouldn't come to this but…I guess I was hoping in vein." We shook hands and he exited.

Briefly I scanned through the contents of the file. Jeremy was five-nine with bright blond hair and startling royal blue eyes. He was into the kinky sex and strip clubs both gay and hetero. Kye admitted that they had met at Lace 'N Leather, a store that sold BDSM merchandise, along with the common variety lingerie.

The first picture was of the pair of them, probably in Hyde Park by the looks of the background, lying together on a red and green tartan blanket. Jeremy was dressed in jeans and a grass stained T-shirt from the Gay, Lesbian, and Transsexual Parents Coalition, or the GLTPC as the rainbow letters on the front stated. Kye Ryan was wearing a green button up shirt left open over a tan bare chest. He was wearing a rainbow stripped belt with his black jeans. They looked so happy together.

This was probably the most hated part of the job of tracking down a spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend, they look so happy but you know the truth already. I had only ever had two cases in the last forty years where suspicions of cheating weren't true. 'Tis a sad, sad world.

I stood outside the nightclub called Chamber Cortez, as the red neon sign declared, glowing eerily in the blackness of the Soho district. It was a new, or at least I'd never heard of it. Which was strange since I frequented clubs a lot to catch my prey. In the file Mr. Ryan mentioned that Jeremy frequented here, a lot. If Jeremy wasn't here he was probably at Cup of Night.

* * *

I had dressed in a short black skirt with a lilac tank top. The supple leather of my boots that came to my thighs would be easy enough to fight in should I need too and they also held my wand and a couple hundred Euro. I rarely used my wand, but if I had an emergency, like someone saw me do something not humanly possible, surviving a deadly wound, it came in handy. I also wore an opal necklace on that with a little magic was a perfect camera. It took a series of film that lasted about three hours and I could develop it with or without a Motion Solution.

"ID?" A gruff voice sneered at me. It looked like Mr. Banks, as his shirt indicated, was bored. Smiling, I showed him one of my fake ID's, Katey Moon, 23 years old. Video ID's, or VidD's, were hard to scam since the technology to make them was top secret, but a London police qualified detective had connections to the best. The ID in my hand was the best, along with two others like it. The "thumber" Banks held out the fingerprint pad…this part was tricky. I had to reroute my identity to correspond my DNA and fingerprints with Katey Moon; a bit harder than getting the Vid-D in the first place, but again forty some-odd years is enough experience, even with quick technology changes. With an OK nod, Banks gestured with his thumb for me to enter.

Chamber Cortez's erotic music blared. Both men and women danced half-nakedly with poles, swinging from chains, and walking among the crowd. The long bar was inviting and I so wanted a nice pint, but a bottle would be better for roaming purposes.

"Light Corona!" I screamed to the bartender. I handed him a 3 Euro note, trying to avoid distraction from a male stripper dancing on the bar that was trying to catch my eye. But this gave me an idea.

I gestured with my finger for him to come forward. He did; he also had bright puppy dog brown eyes and curly dark hair.

His accent was very American, probably a college student needing to pay for tuition. "Yes, love?" He crouched lowered and laid on the bar.

"You know a Jeremy Niles? I was told he frequents here. I was told he had some connections." I traded my finger along his jaw line, and he started going misty-eyed. I'd taken a Glamour Potion before coming here. It would help conceal who I really was. People would explain about a very beautiful red haired woman named Katey, or Luna, or Sariah, while Max McKenna was fairly plain.

"Yeah, he's always over by the stage tables. He's apart of Cortez's inner circle." I pulled a 50 Euro from my boot and tucked it in his red thong. I winked and scooted away from the bar.

Grabbing a lime slice and my Corona, I made way towards the main stage. The main stage was accentuated by red lights and a huge bed; this struck me as very odd. Cortez, the owner, must be selling a little show tonight. Nobody was on the bed, maybe an audience member would be part of the show. Dancers moved fluidly on stage, mimicking and following each other's movements, they were good.

Jeremy Niles-Ryan was easy to spot. He was sitting at a table with several couples, without a companion of his own. Dressed in the tightest red leather pants and a black tank top, he looked almost inviting. He was the sort of guy that I usually would have my one-night stands with, cute and muscular, not overly muscular though.

I sat down at a table near the stage and near Jeremy's group of friends. He spotted me after a few minutes and leaned over to the girl next to him. She started giggling and her girlfriend or fuck-buddy grabbed her attention and started to have fun. After catching his eye at the empty table near them, he stood and walked over to me. Easy catch, he must have been drinking already, the looser the inhibitions, the easier they are to reel in.

" 'Ello Kitten, whaddya doin' back 'ere all alone?" His Irish voice matched his looks, innocent but magnetic, I could top it though. Max McKenna, Master of Disguise, thanks to my special kind of magic.

"Looking for some fun, you think you're up to the task?" I took a sip from my drink keeping eye contact the whole time. Take my bait you ass.

"I could show ya some fun, and I could show ya somethin' better den fun." He held out his hand. I took it and began my masquerade.

Jeremy was like any other cheating spouse I've investigated. He acted as though Kye didn't exist and he was just out to _carpe noctem_. Kye Ryan had mentioned that he thought things were going great, until the rumors started.

"So, what's you're name, luv?" He stared at me with those big blue eyes and looked totally innocent, but there was something about him. Something, a taste of nostalgia, he was magically connected to someone. He couldn't be a Wizard, his son would most likely be attending Hogwarts, but would Kye say that in an inquiry?

"Kat, and what would your name be?"

"How fitting for my little Kitten to be a Kat, I'm called Tiger." The people at the table laughed.

"He's Jeremy, Kitten is Cortez's bottom name for him. He likes to use it himself." The guy across from me spoke in a sultry voice that was smooth for a man of many piercings. He had at least ten earrings in his left ear, two lip piercings, both nipples, and his tongue stud flicked light as he spoke. I wondered how into piercings he was.

"Val, shut it." Jeremy said. Ooh, somebody was in a dominating mood.

"Okay, Tiger." Val said turning back to the chick in his lap.

I looked back up at the stage, still all aware of Jeremy's eyes wandering over me. "What's with the bed?"

"Oh, Cortez's show for tonight. Odd, he usually saves the bed for Sunday nights." The girl who'd giggled earlier said this; she even had a giggle to her voice.

"What does he do? I've never heard of Chamber Cortez before...I didn't get your name by the way."

"I'm Ebby, and every night Cortez does a little show. Sometimes he uses one of his strippers, others an audience member, and he does something with 'em. Usually just a little show involving his 'vampirism,' others a little flog session or other things like that. The bed is special though. Huh, Jeremy?"

Spill the beans Jeremy, I wanna fat paycheck. "Ebb…" His cheeks turned pink! Oh, this must be good.

Val was the one to spill the dirty bedroom-stage secret, "Cortez has this way to make you cum like nothing you've ever felt before," Val closed his eyes, probably remembering his experience. "Often after a Bed Show, Cortez will show ya what a whole night is like…Jeremy is apparently the one to last the longest on stage."

Hmm, well trained Sub. "Interesting, you say Cortez is a vampire?"

"It's just an act, but there's somethin' about him that's exotic." Jeremy mused rather dully. He started running his fingertips on the back of my neck. His other hand was on my thigh, crawling ever so slowly upward. "Wanna go some place else? Somewhere better and more private." He whispered in my ear.

I wanted to go. I hadn't been laid in a while and drowning my sorrows in sweat and sex sounded nice, but there was something about the air. A pungent tang in the back of my brain…how could Cortez be familiar. It was a little fly in the air teasing me, I just couldn't grasp it.

It took me a few seconds to realize, Jeremy was playing with my right boot zipper, and my right boot held my wand. I didn't have to panic too much, thankfully the lights on the stage dimmed, drawing his attention from the boot and to the stage.

"Might as well watch." Jeremy then decided to use my shoulders as an arm rest. How could Kye Ryan stand this guy? He was annoying, his hands were ever-roaming and teasing.

The music stopped its throbbing beat and became a soft sort of jungle music. The dancers that had been literally fucking on stage stopped, now human statues in erotic poses. The lights through the club went out, only the stage was illuminated in red. A woman's deep alto voice spoke over the club, breaking the thick silence of the club. Apparently Cortez' audience knew how to behave for his acts.

"Chamber Cortez is pleased to bring you, sex and power manifested, a man who voice causes you to sweat desire, a god among gods…Cotez deLumia…"

The curtain behind the bed parted and out walked…hotness. Cortez, it had to be, was tall and slightly muscular. He was pale, almost pearl white with hair the color of a yellow moon. A black Phantom of the Opera mask covered half of his rather handsome-looking face. He wore no shirt and black leather pants that made Jeremy's look baggy. The leather looked poured on, actual second skin. Barefooted, the only other accessory next to the mask was a simple red flogger, with several tails around his neck.

"Welcome old friends and newcomers." He walked very catlike across the stage towards the table his high circle sat at, the one I was sitting at…Boy was it getting hot his here or was it Mr. Lead-arm? "Tonight one of you will assist me in a demonstration of my domination…" His strangely accented voice was thick with sex and seduction that made the hair on my neck stand on end. Fuck, this Cortez was _good_, but I didn't like it, after the sex in the words was power and magic.

My thoughts stopped as I stared into his eyes. That stare made me feel like I was sixteen again and realizing the power of my body. The sexuality I could hold and dominate over the man I loved…or lusted for…did I ever…

"The lady in the lilac top, would you care to join me on stage?" He held out his hand. Cortez had moved to the stairs near the table without me realizing it.


End file.
